JANUARY 2025

“For this month’s contest, let the noodle muse inspire you to make a beautiful portrait of yourself or a pal entirely out of pasta (dry or cooked!). Send us a photo of your pasta portrait, and we’ll post a party of the most pastabulous in an upcoming issue of ASK.”

1. Your child’s contest entry must be their very own work. Ideas and words should not be copied.
2. Be sure to include your child’s name, age, and address on your entry.
3. Only one entry per person, please.
4. If you want your child’s work returned, please help them enclose an addressed, stamped envelope.
5. Your child’s entry must be signed or emailed by yourself or another parent or legal guardian, saying it’s their own work and that no one helped them, and that ASK has permission to publish their work in print and online.
6. For information on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, see the Privacy Policy page at cricketmedia.com.
7. Email a photo or scan of your child’s artwork to: ask@cricketmedia.com. Entries must be emailed by January 31, 2025.
8. We will publish the winning entries in an upcoming issue of ASK.

JANUARY 2025

“Life—and this issue of Cricket—is full of puzzles and puzzling situations. Will time tick forward when the numbers take a break in “Time Off!”? How could the American women of “Number, Please?” be celebrated for their World War I service but not have the right to vote? Just what did that dragon mean by “scales” in “The Dragon’s Scales”? For this month’s contest, everybuggy would like to read your story about a perplexing situation—and its resolution.

Maybe “The Legend of the Giant’s Causeway” and “<3 Quest” will inspire you to tackle the conundrum of how to outsmart a larger-than-life bully. Or your story might introduce a character puzzling out a place to belong, like Solly in “Bar Mitzvah Man” trying to find out how he fits into his religious community—and into his dad’s life. Maybe your story will imagine the struggles of a scholar trying to understand the visionary work left behind by a brilliant mathematician like Srinivasa Ramanujan. Or you might picture what happens when you solve a mythical creature’s riddle or fit the final piece into an enchanted jigsaw puzzle.

Whether your puzzle is lighthearted or thought-provoking, wild or mild, realistic or imaginary, everybuggy in Cricket Country will be ready to read your very best story—of 350 words or fewer, please—and puzzle over your brilliance!”

Contest rules:

1. Your child’s contest entry must be their very own original work. Ideas and words should not be copied.
2. Your child’s entry must be signed by yourself or another parent or guardian, stating that it is their own work, that no help was given,
   and that CRICKET has permission to publish it in the magazine and on our website.
3. Be sure to include your child’s name, age, and full address on their entry.
4. Only one entry per person, please.
5. If you want their work returned, enclose an addressed, stamped envelope for each entry.
6. Your child’s entry must be received by January 25, 2025.
7. Send entries to cricket@cricketmedia.com
8. We will publish winning entries in the April 2025 issue.

JANUARY 2025

“To a germ, the back of your hand might be the size of a continent! Help your microbial buddies out and draw them a map of one of their favorite places on your body. Maybe it’s your palm, your stomach, or your unwashed mouth (ew). Have fun imagining microbe cities, forests of hair follicles, and soapy danger zones. Send your map our way, and we’ll share it only with helpful microbes!”

Contest rules:

JANUARY 2025

“Write a story about a bear on a mission.”

Here are the only rules:

1. Your child’s entry must be signed by yourself, another parent, or legal guardian, authorizing its publication in print and/or online and saying it’s their own idea.
2. Be sure to include your child’s complete name, age, and address.
3. Your child’s entry must arrive by January 25, 2025. We will publish our favorites in the April 2025 issue of SPIDER.

Email your child’s entry to spider@cricketmedia.com.